


Missing Bonds Found

by Book_Nook



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Backstory, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, During Canon, Gen, Memories, Sisters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:28:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25619656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Book_Nook/pseuds/Book_Nook
Summary: Galo is missing.  Having known him since they were young, Aina sets off to find him.  The journey sparks memories of her childhood with Heris, her sister.
Relationships: Aina Ardebit & Galo Thymos, Aina Ardebit & Heris Ardebit
Comments: 10
Kudos: 16





	1. Find That Firefighting Idiot

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter of my first fic, Missing Bonds Found! This fic focuses on the week when Galo was imprisoned by Kray, and Aina searching for him. During her searching, she recalls moments from her childhood with Heris. This chapter is mostly just an introduction, and I'll get to more backstory and searching in the next one (which will also be longer). I wrote this because I wanted to flesh out Aina's character more, and explore her relationship with Heris more.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Galo didn't come back last night. He said he was going to talk to Kray, but could something have happened to him along the way? Aina, having known Galo since they were little, sets off to find him, sparking memories of her childhood with her sister Heris.

Galo burst into the station. “I need to talk to Kray.”

“What? Galo, slow down!” Aina looked at him, worried. She had never seen this look in his eyes before. He looked solemn, far from his usual upbeet self. The energy usually bursting from him whenever he entered a room was gone.

“No time, Aina. It’s important.” Galo grabbed his bag from the back of his bike and stuffed it into his locker. He rushed back to his bike, “I’ll be back soon, I just need to talk to him. I need answers.” 

“Just don’t do anything reckless,” Aina shouted after him.

And with that he was gone. Aina, the last one awake at the station, wandered the garage. Her aircraft, the RM03 was on the floor next to Lucia’s now empty workstation. She had been tinkering with it to try and fix the damage caused by the Burnish Lightning, although Aina didn’t even pretend to understand what Lucia was doing. At least the damage wasn’t too bad. She didn’t quite understand why the lightning failed to hit her this time, but she wasn’t one to complain about good luck. She made her way past the tools and to her bed in the garage. She plopped herself on top of the blanket, soft and red with a number 3 on it, the number of the station. 

Relaxing and winding down for the night, she put on her headphones and continued to scan the empty garage. Varys had left his weights scattered about. She was sure Remi would tell him off in the morning, although Ignis wasn’t much neater with his engine oil all over the place. She could already imagine the conversation.

***

“Varys, you can’t just leave a mess out in the middle of the garage! What would we do if there was a fire and we needed to rush out, but I tripped over your weights?” Remi would ask, completely serious.

“Well, maybe you should watch where you’re going! Besides, Ignis gets to leave his car junk all over the place? Why don’t you rag on him?” Varys would bite back.

“Ignis is my boss, Varys. I can’t just tell him what to do. You, on the other hand, Ignis put me in charge of making sure the station stays up to expectations; neat and tidy.” Remi would, of course, defend himself, possibly a little flustered. He never was one for confrontation. Varys would just laugh at this with his usual boisterous laugh. It was the kind of laugh that was contagious, making the whole world laugh with it. Of course, nothing would come of this exchange. Varys would continue to leave his weights out like he always does, and Remi would continue to be upset about the mess as he always is. Galo would be there, he always is, trying to hold the team together. He could always tease, but he knew Burning Rescue had a bond that would never go away. He was like glue for the team, keeping their spirits up even when things seemed bleak. 

Aina’s thoughts slowly began to drift away from this hypothetical situation and towards memories from her childhood as she began to sink deeper into her slumber. 

She remembered playing with Heris. They would always play rescue; helping people was what they both wanted to do, even when they were little. Through their child eyes their bedroom would burst into flames. Aina, eager to help the dolls in trouble in any way she could burst into the room head first. Dodging the flames she made her way to the hiding dolls, being led by the calculated Heris the entire way. They worked better as a team, balancing each other out. They had a bond that both of them knew could never be broken. Without Heris, Aina wouldn't have the knowledge of where to go. Without Aina, Heris wouldn’t have the strength to burst in. They were always a team, working together since they were little. Recently though, Aina missed her. Heris was always busy with her research. Aina wasn’t exactly sure what it was, but she knew it was going to help a lot of people. Heris was strong like that, Aina always believed it. Her thoughts stayed on her sister’s strength as she drifted off to sleep.

***

Aina had always been an early riser. She liked to get a little exercise in before everyone else woke up. It was quiet and gave her time to think. Sometimes she would even run with Galo, although that wasn’t as quiet as she would like. She couldn’t quite remember her dreams from last night, but she felt energized and like a run would do her good. She looked all over for Galo to see if he wanted to run with her, but he was nowhere to be found. 

“Did he leave without me?” Aina asked herself. That wasn’t like him, but he had been acting strange yesterday. It would be fine to run alone. It would give her the quiet time she normally wanted. 

By the time she returned, the rest of Station 3’s Burning Rescue had woken up. Although, it seemed a little quieter than usual.

“Is Galo not back yet?” Aina asked the group.

“Back? You mean he wasn’t with you?” Remi asked back.

“No, I tried to find him this morning but I thought he left to run without me.”

“Did he come back last night?” Ignis asked, starting to get concerned.

“I mean, I assumed he did. I didn’t see him after he left to go talk to Kray.”

“He went to talk to Governor Kray? What about?” Ignis started to sound a little relieved that he at least was with someone responsible. 

“I don’t know, he didn’t say. But I don’t think I ever saw him come back in.”

“Y’know… I could check my cameras…” Lucia chimed in.

“Cameras? Lucia, do you have cameras set up around the garage? You know I sleep down here!”

“How else am I supposed to make sure nobody touches my stuff,” Lucia asked hunched over her screen, “It looks like he never came back. Do you think he’s ok?” 

“It’s not like Galo to miss a shift,” Remi added, “Aina, do you think you should go look for him? You’ve known him the longest; you could probably guess the best out of any of us where he could have disappeared to.” 

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” Aina responded, “I’m sure he’s fine, but I should go check on him. I have some ideas as to where he could be. You all can handle any fires for the time being, right?” 

“We’ve got it, Aina,” Varys assured her, “Go and find that idiot for us.”

Aina grabbed her bag from her locker, taking a good look at the picture of her and Heris before closing it back up. The picture always gave her hope; hope that the two of them could do anything, save anyone, as long as they did it together. Vinny hopped up into her locker to see her off.

“Vinny!” he said, worried.

“Don’t worry, Vinny, I’ll be back soon.”

Hopping on her rescue bike, freeze handgun strapped to her hip just in case, she was off to find Galo.


	2. Margherita Mega Max!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beginning her search for Galo, Aina finds herself looking for him at his favorite pizzeria. She remembers her childhood with Galo and Heris, and Galo's obsession with Margherita Mega Max pizza. She recalls a time they tried to make their own at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second chapter is here! A big thank you to @mirrorkirby for beta reading! If you haven't already, you should check out their fic, In Body, Mind, and Soul here https://archiveofourown.org/works/23088490/chapters/55235110! Its REALLY GOOD!!!

Speeding down the Promepolis streets, Aina began her search for Galo. She wracked her brain for possibilities of where Galo could have possibly gone, but couldn’t come up with anything. She continued driving aimlessly, and her stomach began to growl. “This isn’t a time for food,” she grumbled to herself.

“Wait… maybe it is time for food.” She sped off towards Galo’s favorite restaurant, the pizza place by the plaza. They had just been there the day before, but that wouldn’t stop Galo from eating there again. He loved pizza, especially the Margherita Mega Max. That had been his favorite since he was a child. Even on the days the restaurant was closed, Galo would try anything he could to eat the deliciously spicy pizza. He never had the self restraint to save leftovers, and Aina could remember the time they had tried to make their own. She and Galo must have been around 8, and Heris 11. Having known Galo for such a long time, Aina considered him family.

***

“Homemade Margherita Mega Max, here I come!” Galo gushed, eyes sparkling as he excitedly pumped his fist in the air. “So, Heris, what’s the first step?”

“Well, according to the recipe, we need to make the sauce first. Aina, do you think you can do that?” Heris peeked down at the cheery Aina who was waiting eagerly for more instructions. “You need to cut a cross on the tomatoes and boil them, then put them in ice and peel them. After that, you put them in a blender to make the paste.” She grabbed the blender and set it on the counter, looking again at Aina to make sure she was listening. “Then, stir fry some garlic and add the tomato paste and chilli powder and let that cook for about a half hour. If you want it to be good, you have to be patient. Do you think you can handle that?”

“I can handle anything!”

“Galo, I already made the dough since it needed to sit in the fridge for 8 hours. Could you grab that for me?”

“You got it!” Galo’s little legs carried him across the kitchen and to the fridge. He grabbed a stool so he could reach the dough from the fridge, and eagerly brought it to Heris, hopping and smiling along the way with more excitement than his little body could hold.

“Perfect! Thank you! Now, while Aina is working on that sauce, do you want to help me chop up the toppings?”

“Yeah!” With a mischievous twinkle in his eye Galo asked, “Can I do the knife?”

“Maybe when you’re a little bit older. I don’t want you to get hurt,” Heris replied, trying to protect her little friend from any possible harm, “We’re going to start by chopping up these tomatoes. When I’m done slicing, can you put them into a bowl for me?”

“You’ve got it,” Galo eagerly replied, nodding his head and giving an excited thumbs-up.

The three of them remained focused on their cooking and slicing. Nobody said anything, and the air was filled with the sounds of bubbling sauce and chopping, with an occasional grumbling stomach.

“How long is this going to take,” Galo whined, “I’m huuuuungry!”

Aina stomped her foot impatiently as she frowned, sweat starting to form on her brow from the heat of the pan combined with the effort of stirring the sauce. “Hey sis, do I have to keep stirring?”

“We’re almost done; the tomatoes and olives are all chopped, and the sauce should be done any second. Plus, Aina, you can’t just leave the sauce now! You have to finish what you started! We’re a team, and you have to do your part. If you don’t, the sauce will burn and nobody will get any pizza. That wouldn’t be good, would it?”

Little Aina thought about the idea for a second, her face scrunched up as the gears in her head turned to process the thought. “I guess not. I just hope the sauce hurries up and finishes already!”  
  
As if waiting for its cue, the timer went off, its ringing echoing throughout the quiet kitchen and catching the attention of the kids whose minds began to wander as they completed their tasks.

“See, the sauce is already done. Now, let's just roll out the dough and shape it into a nice pizza. There, that looks delicious, doesn’t it?”

“That’s not a pizza, sis.”  
  
“Well, not yet. We have to put the sauce on now. Doesn’t Aina’s sauce smell delicious, Galo?”

“It sure does! Who knew she could cook?”

Aina teasingly stuck her tongue out at Galo, blushing from the slight embarrassment. “Hey, I have many talents!”

“Now that the sauce is on, we put on the sliced tomato, olives, basil, and mozzarella slices. Now, into the oven it goes.”

“Aaaaaand… how long is that going to take?” Aina asked.

“Only 12 minutes! We can wait that long, right? It’ll pay off in the end when we get our delicious pizza!”

The trio sat around the kitchen, waiting rather impatiently for the pizza. The 12 minutes felt like a lifetime to the kids who tried to keep themselves busy while waiting. Hoping to find something fun to occupy their time with, Aina and Galo searched the drawers of the kitchen looking for some playing cards.

They searched the room as it became warmer from the heat of the oven. Even small tasks would cause them to begin to sweat. When Galo finally found some in the top drawer on the left, the three decided to play cards. Aina suggested Go Fish, and to her surprise Galo actually agreed. Most of the time he would argue, but it seemed like he was willing to do anything to pass the time.

As they played, the smells of the pizza filled the kitchen. The trio could smell the bitter scent of the sauce heating up. Heris paused as she dealt a new hand, gently closing her eyes and tilting her head up to get a better smell of the melting cheese. Galo followed suit, putting his nose high in the air to smell all of the ingredients blending together to create the perfect aroma.

Rapidly tapping his feet and bouncing his legs while sitting in his chair, Galo began to grow even more impatient. Aina understood how he felt; she too was beginning to feel even more hungry than before. She couldn’t understand how Heris didn’t even show signs of hunger. She knew this meant her sister must be very strong. After what felt like an eternity of card playing, the sound of the timer rang through the kitchen again.

“Pizza!” Galo shouted.

“Hold on, Galo, there is one more step,” Heris said as she took the pizza out of the oven, “We have to put the finishing touch on: hot sauce!” She sprinkled hot sauce on top of the pizza and cut it into slices. Finally, their hard work was done and the three were ready to dig in.

***

The sun high in the sky, Aina finally arrived at the pizzeria. As she pulled up, she noticed that it was deserted. The lights were off and not a customer was in sight. Then, she finally remembered the events of the day before.

“Damn! Why didn’t I think of that! I was in such a rush to find Galo I forgot about Vulcan and his damn Freeze Force lackeys arresting the owner and his only cook.” Aina sat down at a table under the red shade, the same table she had always sat at since she was little. She looked around the outside of the empty restaurant as she sat in her chair thinking.

 _Why couldn’t Freeze Force just see that Burnish are people too?_ Upset, Aina buried her face in her hands as she slouched over. _Sure they’re a little different, but isn’t everyone?_ She couldn’t believe they arrested the cook - the poor guy was so young. _He couldn’t have been much older than Galo and I. And the owner of the pizzeria was just being a decent person, giving a job to someone who was already marginalized. He didn’t deserve to be arrested either. It’s not right. It's not just._

Remembering the events of the arrest, Aina raised her head to look through the windows of the restaurant. She knew that the cook wasn’t putting anyone in danger, and the owner of the pizzeria just wanted to help _. All they wanted was to live their lives, just like most Burnish. Sure, some of them are bad, but so are some non-Burnish. All sorts of people are criminals, but that doesn’t mean I’m under more watch than anyone else. It doesn’t mean that I’m preemptively arrested “just to be safe.”_ Feeling even more hopeless and frustrated, she threw her hands down onto the table, crossing her arms, and burying her head in them.

She knew that not all Burnish are dangerous. _Sure, there may be Mad Burnish who cause fires on purpose, but even they are trying to fight for freedom. I don’t know if arson is the best way to go about it, but they wouldn’t even have to if people would just treat them like people._ She just wanted to protect everyone, but she couldn’t even protect these two _._ Aina scrunched up her still buried face in deep contemplation. _That’s my job, isn’t it? Protecting people? Helping and protecting. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do, just like my sister, and now I can’t even do that. I can’t even think of where to find Galo._

Aina sat up a bit, not wanting to let anyone see her so upset. She couldn’t believe this could be the end of the restaurant. The memories would always be there, but she couldn’t believe there wouldn’t be any more. She could remember eating at the same restaurant with Heris and Galo when they were little.  
  
***

The three young friends sat at a table on the patio under the red shade. Despite Aina and Galo being 13 and Heris being 16, they were all allowed to roam the city on their own. Promepolis was a safe city; the only danger was Mad Burnish, but Freeze Force and the local fire departments kept everyone safe. Heris would always keep an eye on the younger two, making sure they stayed out of trouble. She was the responsible one, after all.  
  
Heris began to tease Galo, “You know, if you keep shoving the pizza down your throat that fast, you’re going to get it stuck,”

“Nah, don’t worry! My body is a pizza eating machine!” Galo said, as he puffed his chest and took another bite of the Margherita Mega Max.

“That’s not what I’m worried about. If you keep eating at this pace, there isn’t going to be any pizza left for sis or I!”

Galo took another slice. “Well, then you better hurry up Aina!”

“Heris, should we just order another for ourselves?” Aina asked her sister.

“Sure, and Galo can pay since he ate all of ours!”

The two sisters laughed as Galo looked at them with a dumbstruck look on his face.

***

The sun was already beginning to set as Aina’s thoughts returned to Galo.

 _I can’t believe he’s missing. I should have made sure he made it home. No, I should have insisted I went with him! I could have protected him! But I didn’t, and now he’s gone and could be in danger. If only Heris was here, she’d know exactly how to find him. She’s always been better at thinking things through than me. I wasted the entire day and made no progress. I should just give up._ Aina leaned back in her chair, looking up at the sky with a furrowed brow, hoping an answer might just appear.

Her mind went back to making pizza with her sister and Galo once more. She remembered wanting to give up on making the sauce, but Heris wouldn’t let her. What was it she said?

“You have to finish what you started! We’re a team, and you have to do your part. If you don’t, the sauce will burn and nobody will get any pizza,” Aina said quietly to herself. Sure, there wasn’t any sauce now, but she couldn’t just walk away from finding Galo! That wouldn’t be fair to Burning Rescue. They were a team, and were there to help each other. She needed to find Galo. Her face began to feel flushed as the determination filled her body. “I need to cool off,” she thought out loud. Suddenly, she sprang up from her chair.

_That’s it! That must be where Galo went! If something happened when he was talking to Governor Kray, he would have gone to cool off!_

Getting up from the table, Aina began to rush back towards her bike. She turned her head over her shoulder and took one last look at the pizzeria, remembering all the fun times once more. She would make things right. Everyone would see that Burnish are people too. If she was going to protect people, she was going to protect all people, including Burnish. She was going to fight for them, and fight with them. She would help them be heard and seen. She would help the people protecting them as well. She knew she had power in the government. Between being a firefighter and knowing Kray through Galo, she had power that she could use to help people who were seen as less. Nothing like what happened yesterday at the pizzeria would ever happen again. Aina wouldn’t allow it. But right now, she needed to find Galo. Who knew what kind of danger he was in?

With renewed conviction and determined to find Galo, Aina hopped onto her bike again, this time with a destination in mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!!! The story is finally starting to get going, so let me know what you think! 
> 
> I used a recipe for the Margherita Mega Max by RICO. You can find it here https://youtu.be/55loeT1WBII
> 
> I'll post updates as to my progress and when I plan to update the fic on my twitter https://twitter.com/LioFocaccia


	3. Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aina realized where Galo might be - the frozen lake. Could she finally be on the right track to find Galo? As she races towards the lake, she remembers spending time there with Galo and Heris.

The cool breeze whipped Aina’s hair away from her face as she sped away from the pizzeria. Her bike, gliding over the always smooth Promepolis streets, barely made a sound. Aina’s heart slowed as she took deep breaths; the soft purr of her bike, now the only thing she could hear, was always a comfort to her. Whispering under her breath, Aina thought aloud to herself, “Where could that dumbass have gone? Talking to Kray should not have taken this long! He better be cooling off at the lake…” Her back was stiff as a board, shoulders bunched up, eyes straight ahead on the road, yet her mind wandered. As she passed the Promepolis City Square, where days before Galo was awarded a medal for capturing Mad Burnish, the scents of exhaust and the city faded into those of fresh snow.

***

“Come on, Aina, it's easy!” putting his hands on his hips and tilting his head, Galo encouraged Aina.

“Easy for you, maybe! I’ve never skated a day in my life!” Aina jeered back at Galo, copying his pose and sticking her tongue out.

From behind, Heris reached her hand out to her little sister. “You’ve got this, Aina. You’re the bravest 16 year old Promepolis has ever seen. Besides, I’m here to help you however you may need it.” Aina spun around, shocked at her sister’s presence.

“I got off work a little early today and thought I would give you two a little visit! What do you say, shall we give it a try?” Still holding her hand out, Heris locked eyes with her sister. Aina looked back into her sister’s blue eyes. Filled with a sudden sense of confidence, she nodded. 

Walking hand in hand, Aina and Heris started towards the edge of the frozen lake. The snow, crunching beneath their feet, had just stopped falling. The pure scent of pine filled the air, a stark contrast to the city’s smell of exhaust fumes, food from the restaurants, and whatever else might be in the air. Approaching the ice, Aina paused to take in the moment. She felt the cool winter breeze brushing her face; she smelled the pine trees surrounding them, isolating them from the outside world; she listened as the breeze hushed through the trees; she felt the warmth of Heris’s hand in hers, a warmth that spread up her arm, tingling in her heart. She loved the way that her hand fit just perfectly inside of her sister’s. It was like they were meant to support each other.

“Come on, slowpoke! Are you just going to keep me waiting here or what?” Galo slouched over impatiently, his wild blue hair moving into his face. He brushed it back into its usual position as he stood up, placing his hands on his hips once more.

“Ready?” Heris asked, looking down at Aina, squeezing her hand even tighter.

“Ready.” Aina replied, looking up into her sister’s eyes once more, seeing her own reflected inside of them and squeezing her hand back as they both stepped onto the ice.

***

Aina’s attention snapped back to the road ahead. Luckily, she was heading in the right direction. She knew the streets of Promepolis like the back of her hand; she had to, you can’t make a wrong turn on your way to a fire. Not only did she know her way around, but she had studied the roads. She knew every detail, from the bumps and potholes to the imperfections in the paint. The roads were hers, her place to ride, to think, to be free. She loved her job, especially her co-workers, but sometimes, just sometimes, she needed time to herself. 

The station is always packed. Lucia has her workstation, Ignis has his garage, Varys has his gym, Remi has his office, Galo has his lake, even Vinny has a little house Lucia built him! Well, maybe house was the wrong word; it was more like a high-tech mansion with all sorts of gadgets. Aina didn’t have anything like that, she didn’t even have a place in the station to really relax. Sure, she had her bed, but even that was within a stone’s throw from Lucia. That’s where her bike came in. With it, she could go anywhere. The cramped station was no longer her problem whenever she rode off. Just a speck behind her as she sped away, the station and anyone inside couldn’t bother her, just for a few minutes, as she rode. Whatever was happening now, it wasn’t her problem. 

She loved helping people, but sometimes the responsibility bore down on her harder than the weight of the city ever could. She could feel it crushing her, slowly making every little thing harder. And yet, nobody knew she was there. Sure, the city was grateful for the firefighters; they kept everyone safe from the chaos Mad Burnish would cause, but until Galo’s award a few days earlier, nobody in the city even knew the names of Burning Rescue. They were some entity, not people, saving the city. Even so, the weight of their expectations, their hopes, their safety, came down on Aina like a landslide. But she could never give up; she had to keep going, for the city, but most importantly, for Heris.

Aina’s bike began to crunch over gravel as the smooth ride through the Promepolis streets brought her towards the city’s edge. As she crossed the border out of the city, the scents of the city faded to that familiar pine. The trees began to surround her as she kept onward. She was slowly getting closer to the lake, to Galo. The air grew colder the further she strayed from the city.

***

Hand in hand, Aina and Heris began gliding over the surface of the frozen lake. Aina was shocked that they could glide so easily while still in their normal shoes. Grinning ear to ear, she let out a laugh. Heris looked down towards her little sister, noticing the small details in her smile. She noticed the way her eyes scrunched up from being pushed by her cheeks, the way her nose crinkled when she laughed, the way she wasn’t afraid to show her teeth as she giggled, and how her joy seemed to spread to everyone around her. Heris couldn’t remember the last time her sister was this carefree.

Aina looked up at her big sister, still squeezing her hand. She couldn’t believe she actually had some time off work! Since she began her research at the Foresight Foundation, Heris had barely been home. Aina knew she was doing important work and looked up to her for it, but she still missed her. Taking this opportunity that they were together, she watched Heris as she laughed. She noticed the way her eyes scrunched up from being pushed by her cheeks, just like her, the way her nose crinkled when she laughed, just like hers, the way she wasn’t afraid to show her teeth as she giggled, just like her, and how her joy seemed to spread to everyone around her. Aina couldn’t remember the last time her sister was this carefree.

“Hey, you two, watch this!” Galo shouted, breaking the silence of the lake. Without a moment’s hesitation, Galo began to spin while propelling himself into the air. The sisters held their breath as they watched Galo tuck in his arms, turning twice, hair becoming a blue blur, and landing. Aina and Heris let out a sigh of relief as both of Galo’s feet hit the floor. “Heh? What about that!?” Galo laughed, fixing his hair again and straightening out his black turtleneck. 

“Now where in the world did you learn to do something like that?” Heris, dumbstruck, gaped at Galo.

“Oh, you know. I’ve been coming out here for a long time. I see something on TV, I try it! Easy as that!” Galo grinned from ear to ear, puffing out his chest as a display of bravery, or, as Aina saw it, stupidity.

“Well, that is quite impressive Galo!” Heris continued to stare at him, not sure if he was telling the truth. Glancing down at her sister, she noticed a touch of jealousy in the way she stared Galo down. “Do you want to try?”

Aina looked up at her sister, shocked at the notion. “Me? Try that? Come on, it’s my first time on the ice. It would take years to be able to do something like that!”

“Sure, it might take years, but all years of practice. You don’t want to waste any time, do you? Why not start now?” Heris drew her hand out of Aina’s for the first time since setting foot on the ice. Giving her a nod, she slightly pushed her sister further out into the ice. “You’ve got this, and I’m right here if you need it.”

Alone in the middle of the ice, Aina glanced back at her sister, a constant source of reassurance. The air felt colder alone out here. It nipped at her nose and cheeks, her fingers became numb, and the breeze sent a shiver down her spine. The scent of the trees was faint, and everything seemed so far away. She couldn’t hear the air passing through the trees, only the sound of her breath, heavy and unsteady, remained. Galo and Heris watched silently and hopefully. Aina, feeling their eyes on her, lept into the air, tucking in her arms, and spinning. Spinning faster. Spinning out of control, Aina came hurling down towards the ice, arms wildly waving in the air as she tried to regain control.

***

Aina pulled directly up to the lake. The humming of her bike stopped as she cut the engine. Leaving her keys in the bike she ran directly towards the ice. “Galo! Galo! Galo?” her shouts echoed around the frozen lake. She approached the edge of the ice, toes not daring to cross the threshold alone.  
“Galo!?” she shouted again. She waited for a response, but only her voice echoed back. The breeze passed through the trees, whispering their sighs in response. Nobody was going to answer; Galo wasn’t here. Aina refused to believe it. Taking a deep breath and standing up straight, she carefully began to tread onto the ice. 

“Good, it still seems solid. It couldn’t have melted in the last few days; Galo said he couldn’t even find where it ends.” Aina tried to calm herself. She had never been on the ice alone; the first time was with her sister the entire time and last time she had Galo. The smell of the pine trees drifted away as she reached the silent center of the lake. Instinctively Aina looked back over her shoulder, searching for Heris, her source of reassurance. Nobody was there; Aina was on her own.

***

With outstretched arms, Heris ran towards the falling Aina. Gliding gracefully across the ice, she got there just in time for Aina to catch her balance on her sister. 

“Aina, that was amazing!”

“Really? It felt like it sucked.” Aina caught her breath as she leaned on her sister.

Heris softly smiled down at her sister, “Really. You looked like a pro! With a little more practice, you’ll be spinning circles around Galo!” 

“Well, don’t tell him that. You know it would drive him nuts!” The sisters laughed together, cherishing the sweet moment where they were both carefree. “Maybe next time I can do it on my own!” 

“Absolutely. You didn’t even need me this time, but you know how I worry about you!” 

“I know. It’s because you care for me, not because you don’t think I’m capable. I worry for you too.” Aina’s brow furrowed out of an everlasting concern for her big sister. As much as she knew she could rely on Heris, Aina also knew that Heris had to rely on her.

“Don’t worry about me. You’re more than strong enough to take care of yourself, and I can take care of myself. You can do anything you put your mind to!” Heris looked Aina dead in the eye. “Let’s make a deal. I’ll stop worrying so much about you if you stop worrying so much about me. You’re capable of so many amazing things; you don’t need to keep looking back for me. Promise?”

Aina met her sister’s gaze, tense as her sister pushed her to be stronger. “Promise.”

***

As the breeze became even colder, Aina realized what she was doing. She returned her gaze to straight ahead and began walking again. Her mind was racing with memories of her sister and concern for Galo. Running now, she had one goal: look for Galo on the other side of the lake. She began to notice the ice become even slicker as she continued to rush to the other side of the lake. Squinting with focus, she stayed determined not to look back. She was strong enough to keep pushing forward on her own.

This time, she didn’t need Heris or Galo to help her on the ice. She had herself; her determination, her strength, it was enough for her. She was enough. She noticed the fog from her breath as the other side of the lake came into view. 

“I made it! I did it myself. Just a little while farther and I’ll be there. Galo will be there too, I just know it!” Brow furrowed in concentration, Aina stayed determined to reach the other side. In an instant, her confidence fled her body. 

Alone on the ice, Aina’s feet began to slip. Her eyes widened as her jaw dropped. She waived her arms wildly as she tried to regain control. She started to fall backwards, fast, with the weight of her entire body down towards the ice. As she fell towards the ice there was nobody here to help her. Her thoughts immediately went to Heris, who would have caught her again. Her hands were too busy to catch her as her head hit the ice with a loud CRACK. Her vision faded to black as she was surrounded by the cold air. The scent of the pine trees and their gentle whispers as they conversed with the wind sent her off to sleep. 

The lake was silent again. The engine on Aina’s bike was beginning to cool down, keys still in the ignition ready for when Aina was to rush back to Burning Rescue with Galo beside her. Her footsteps remained in the snow leading towards the lake. Streaks in the fresh snow across the lake marked the path Aina shuffled along. The trees, still conversing with the wind watched Aina lay still on the ice. As she drew a shaky breath, the breeze shook the tree branches. If Aina was awake, she would have thought it sounded like they were whispering a soft, “Don’t worry about me.” But she wasn’t awake. The trees kept watch as she drew a shaky breath. As she let it out, a slight fog formed under her nose, red from the cold. The breeze stopped.

Finally, the frozen lake was silent once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading!!! Let me know what you think!  
> I'll post updates as to my progress and when I plan to update the fic on my twitter https://twitter.com/LioFocaccia

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!!! I've been working on the entire fic for months, and have a lot of chapters written, I just need to clean them up quite a bit and change some things. I'm looking forward to being able to share the rest! It'll have multiple chapters, and I plan to take her through the entire week. I'm not exactly sure how long it'll be. I'm also not sure how often I'll be able to update it, but I'll try to not make you wait too long. Feel free to leave comments if there is stuff you want me to explore more of, or anything else! Thanks again for reading, and let me know what you think!!
> 
> I briefly mentioned Burnish Lightning. If you are curious, I wrote a quick concept for Burnish Lightning here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25616404
> 
> I also used the names in the booklet that came with the Collectors Edition for Aina's aircraft and the handgun. The full name for her aircraft is RM03 (SKY MS.). Just thought that would be fun to mention!
> 
> I'll post updates as to my progress and when I plan to update the fic on my twitter https://twitter.com/LioFocaccia


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